Bringing out the grain in a wood stock

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Every now and then I see a rifle with incredibly deep looking grain, almost like it's 3-D. Is this purely a feature of the wood itself or is there something that can be done to maximize this effect? Are there products that perhaps reduce surface sheen and let the light through into the wood like a coating on an optic lens? Would polishing it help? Is it all in the staining process?

I have a rifle with beautiful grain and a nice swirling effect but it looks one-dimensional. I notice more rifles with the deep looking grain from decades past which leads me to think it might be the modern finishes to blame. Or is beautiful wood like that just hard to find these days?
 
It's both a function of the wood and the finished used. For figured wood, analine (sp?) dying the wood gives the best 3D effect, then a protective finish like urethane can be applied.
 
First of all I would propose don't hide it with products that add colour or change colour. Classic pure oil finishes take time but will give you a matte finish you are looking for. By time we are talking months to complete.
However, if you do go the polymerized, varnish, other additives that speed up the process you may come by a finish that sits between matte to glossy. A gloss finish may allow you to look into the wood through a window of sorts.
I am partial to a pure tung oil finish. If you buy it in a box store it is likely not pure and has additives that speed up the filling and drying process causing build up. look for pure. Hard to beat the utility of a really good oil finish IMO.
My 2c.
Elky
 
I assume it is a factory finish now? Usually the finish also contains pigment to darken the wood and hide minor flaws. This also hides the beauty and colours of the wood. When you refinish you will obtain more depth by not applying anything that will cloud or diffuse the light. This also means don't sand in the finish as a method of filling the pores as is often recommended. Sand back lightly with 320 between as many coats as it takes to fill the pores with clear finish. Wet sand your finish coats up to 2000 wet and dry paper to achieve a flat/level surface and then finish up with pumice. For more shine and depth use rottenstone in baby oil with a felt pad or buffing wheel after the pumice. If you really want an even higher finish you can follow up with talcum powder and water on a buffing wheel.
 
High end Turkish walnut stocks need exceptionally smooth high gloss finish to show off in a 3D type effect.

The wood required for this is usually high end, trying to make a $500.00 stock look like it is rather difficult.
 
Awesome guys, there's some good food for thought here. The gunsmithing video was interesting. This type of finish takes some serious time and patience.
 
My formula: Lots and lots and lots of sanding with oil and progressively finer paper. Create a mud and fill in the pours of the wood. Eventually rubbing/buffing with jewelers rouge. Perhaps a pure wax (no cutters) if you like that. No colouring agents. Have fun if you take it on. Can be very rewarding. Must be patient...
 
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Some years back I had a rather plain looking stock so I put a wet cloth on it and applied a hot iron to the cloth to steam the wood. The steam bought out the figure and it looked quite good after a long rubdown with tung oil.
 
tekarra said:
Some years back I had a rather plain looking stock so I put a wet cloth on it and applied a hot iron to the cloth to steam the wood. The steam bought out the figure and it looked quite good after a long rubdown with tung oil.
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I'm pretty sure the long rubdown with tung oil had much more to do with bringing out the figure in the wood than the wet cloth and hot iron treatment.
 
pjs said:
... don't sand in the finish as a method of filling the pores... Sand back lightly with 320 between as many coats as it takes to fill the pores...
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Curious...you indicate don't sand to fill pores and then indicate to sand to fill the pores. What am I not understanding?
 
Are you referring to the chatoyance of the wood? similar to this?

TIGER%20STRIP%20MAPLE--STRIPES%20ALL%20THE%20WAY%20THROUGHT%20THE%20WOOD%20NBR%202%20CROPPED%20and%20enlarged%20FOR%20RFC.jpg
 
NVShooter said:
Curious...you indicate don't sand to fill pores and then indicate to sand to fill the pores. What am I not understanding?
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What I mean to say is that often it is suggested to sand with wet finish and create a slurry with the wood dust to fill the pores quickly. This method works well but will cloud the surface of the wood and reduce the vibrant color and visual depth that the OP is seeking. Instead, I am suggesting to build up clear finish and lightly sand the cured finish between coats without sanding the wood itself. This way there is no wood dust in the finish to cloud the view. It really makes a difference to the clarity.
 
Xippper said:
It's both a function of the wood and the finished used. For figured wood, analine (sp?) dying the wood gives the best 3D effect, then a protective finish like urethane can be applied.
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Aniline. Yes - I've done that with Curly Maple and the effect is very impressive. The key is not to use a dye that contains pigments.
 
Yes indeed, if you want to colour the wood then aniline dye is the way to go. I get mine from Lee Valley Tools. It is in powder form and you mix it with water as needed. There are a couple of different walnuts and also a yellow maple that is great for tinting the "whiteness" out of newly finished maple stocks.
 
pjs said:
What I mean to say is that often it is suggested to sand with wet finish and create a slurry with the wood dust to fill the pores quickly. This method works well but will cloud the surface of the wood and reduce the vibrant color and visual depth that the OP is seeking. Instead, I am suggesting to build up clear finish and lightly sand the cured finish between coats without sanding the wood itself. This way there is no wood dust in the finish to cloud the view. It really makes a difference to the clarity.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. Have not had that experience myself but maybe my approach to filling the pores is different. I much prefer it to the "open pore" look and have not found that it yields a negative result in terms of colour/depth/clarity. However, I'll give your method a try. Maybe a new technique for an old dog. In terms of colour, argh...I bought a brand new Anschutz that had this sickly reddish tint to it. Of the model I wanted, they all did. Obscured the wood grain almost entirely. I stripped and refinished the stock before firing a single shot. The result was spectacular in comparison. Some folks must like stain but I'm not one of them. Maybe they want a uniform effect but it obscures the unique character of the wood which I value far more.
 
I have an Anschutz 1710 that is like the one you describe. It has an orange/red haze to it. I can see the wood underneath actually is quite decent and deserves a nice finish. I only need to find the time as "good" and "quick" cannot be used simultaneously to describe a nice job. There are many ways to achieve a good finish but one thing they have in common is the copious application of "elbow grease".
 
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